Motor vehicle-related injury is the most common form of trauma incurred by dogs, and cardiac arrhythmias are a well-recognized complication. Although posttraumatic arrhythmias are often observed, little is known regarding their frequency. This study utilized continuous ambulatory electrocardiography (i.e., Holter monitoring) to describe the cardiac rhythm disturbances in 30 dogs sustaining trauma in motor vehicle accidents. Ventricular ectopy was identified by Holter monitoring in 29 of 30 dogs, although the initial electrocardiogram (EKG) only documented ventricular ectopic complexes (VECs) in four dogs. Ventricular ectopy was infrequent in most dogs (i.e., 62% of the dogs had less than 100 VECs per day for the entire study), but 16% developed frequent arrhythmias (greater than 4,000 VECs per day). In all cases, the VECs were observed within 24 hours of injury. Forty-three percent of dogs had at least one episode of ventricular tachycardia, including several dogs that had an overall infrequent rate of VECs (i.e., less than 100 or 100 to 1,000 VECs per day). Although baseline EKGs are useful in identifying arrhythmias in most dogs, the length of the recording should be increased to improve the likelihood of observing an abnormal EKG event. Most importantly, additional EKGs should be obtained or continuous EKG monitoring should be performed in dogs that display clinical signs that could be attributed to ventricular arrhythmias.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
January/February 2001
Articles|
January 01 2001
Electrocardiographic findings in dogs with motor vehicle-related trauma
J Am Anim Hosp Assoc (2001) 37 (1): 55–63.
Citation
PS Snyder, KL Cooke, ST Murphy, NG Shaw, DD Lewis, OI Lanz; Electrocardiographic findings in dogs with motor vehicle-related trauma. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 1 January 2001; 37 (1): 55–63. doi: https://doi.org/10.5326/15473317-37-1-55
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionCiting articles via
Long-Term Survival of Primary Intracranial Histiocytic Sarcoma Through Surgical Resection and Low-Dose CCNU
Kyosuke Hidari, DVM, Yuya Nakamoto, DVM, PhD, James K. Chambers, DVM, PhD, Kazuyuki Uchida, DVM, PhD, Isao Mori, DVM, Miwa Nakamoto, DVM
Microfilaria in the Urine of a Dog with Concurrent Urinary Bladder Sarcoma
Nicole Schlette, DVM, Erin Burton, DVM, MS, DACVP, Amber Harris, DVM, DACVIM (Internal Medicine), Kendall Langsten, DVM, DACVP, Erik Olson, DVM, PhD, DACVP, Daniel Heinrich, DVM, DACVP
Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia with Central Nervous System Involvement in a Dog
Ilaria Tartari, DVM, Fabio Tocco, DVM, Giorgio Cancedda, DVM, Veronica Angioni, DVM, Marco Podda, DVM, Antonella Gallucci, DVM, PhD, DECVN, EBVS
Treatment Outcomes of Canine Orbital Meningiomas in Seven Cases
Akihiro Uno, DVM, Ryota Iwasaki, DVM, PhD, Takashi Mori, DVM, PhD
Transient Hypoadrenocorticism in a 7-Week-Old Kitten
Alba Planas Vintro, BVM, Linda G. Martin, DVM, MS, DACVECC, Cassidy L. Cordon, DVM, Sabrina N. Hoehne, Dr. med. vet., DACVECC, DECVECC, Elizabeth B. Davidow, DVM, DACVECC